Stellar
by harajuku doll
Summary: Mukuro has always prided herself on her discernment, but one apparition eludes her understanding. MukuroxHiei, Rated T to be safe.  Please R&R! :D
1. Zero

**Title**: Stellar

**Disclaimer**: I don't own YYH , and the title is from a song used by Incubus. :)

**Summary**: Mukuro has always prided herself on her discernment, but one apparition eludes her understanding. A series of drabbles on her conflicting relationship with the Jaganshi. MukuroxHiei, Hurt/Comfort

0

She hates the left side of her body.

It is all cream and softness, like the skin of the humans on which she dined. The right side, now there's a beauty. She absently strokes a shriveled patch on her left knee. Years have not blurred the pain of acid on her skin, the feeling of it slowly eating her flesh. And yet, it gives her a feeling of triumph.

Mukuro. That is what she chooses to call herself .

In the first years, she felt like she truly lived up to her name. After the white-hot victory came the calm. The days and nights stretched before her, bringing nothing. She was dead to the world, and while she didn't like being unseen, it was better than what she used to know. Mukuro—corpse.

She must be the only corpse in Makai who dreams. When she sleeps, she sees it all again. Some days they're tolerable, her personal carnival of horrors.

Other days she screams in her sleep, and she punches her face to stop the screaming. This is one such night. Mukuro punches herself and wakes, and she sits in bed, looking at her reddened fist speckled with spit and blood. She wipes the fluids on her sheets and goes back to sleep.

In the morning, after her bath, she clothes herself in her usual pants and jacket. She uses a band on her titian hair, and drapes a cloth over the right side of her face. Her glass eye she never takes off, even in sleep. Today, Mukuro considers not putting on her bandages. She considers letting her kingdom see her for who she is, but she quickly gets over the impulse. She starts wrapping her head up.

The less discerning might say she wraps herself in cloth and strips of _ofuda_ to hide her charred skin. To this, she laughs. She binds herself to hide her shameful right side. She binds herself, because those who are bound are infinitely stronger. And she binds herself for she is woman.

The world is kinder to men, she has figured. And so she becomes man.

What do you think? Please R&R! :)


	2. One

**Title**: Stellar

**Disclaimer**: I don't own YYH , and the title is from a song by Incubus.

**Summary**: Mukuro is, among many things, a ruthless killer who has used skills and strategy to become king. She has always prided herself on her discernment, but one apparition eludes her understanding. A series of drabbles on her conflicting relationship with the Jaganshi. MukuroxHiei, Hurt/Comfort

1

She first saw him fifty years ago, when he was barely a man. The first, by chance, and the next instances by her choice. She would come to realize, years later, that this is their pattern. She always came first, and she always will.

In his early youth, he was already impetuous. Wandering the desert edges of her domain, he was picked up by her patrolmen. She sends 15 low-level demons for every 300 square meters from the border, and those from the southwestern side were the ones who saw him.

"Why are there less than half of you here?" she asked one of her men when they came to her one day. Kirin, her right-hand man, was discussing military strategy with her in one of the sitting rooms when her southwest demons knocked. They shuffled in, dragging Hiei into the room. She barely took notice of the young demon in a black cloak.

"This one, my lord. H-he killed the others," one of her soldiers said, pointing at Hiei. Mukuro turned to look at Hiei, who was staring malevolently at her, his eyes a burning crimson. Her gaze fell to the boy's neck, where a teardrop-shaped pearl hung.

"What is your name, child?" she asked. He stared at her for the longest time, and she felt a little amused. He was assessing her, crudely, seeing how strong she was and if he could take her on. Finally, he spoke. "I am Hiei," he said. There was no unease in his voice, and behind her bandages, Mukuro smiled, her first in years.

"Hiei. What are you doing in my territory?"

"Just passing through."

"Do you wish to stay or will you leave? I can make arrangements for you either way,"

Hiei, child that he is, was surprised. "Won't you kill me for butchering your soldiers?" he asked. Mukuro took one long, hard look at him. She knew he couldn't see beyond the beehive dome of her bandages, or the glass eye. Yet she felt that his stare was poking the layers of cloth on her face, trying to uncover, to see.

"Do you know who I am, young Hiei?" he shook his head. "I am called Mukuro. Remember my name, and learn how to ask better questions of your host. I bid you well."

When the demons led Hiei out of the room, Mukuro looked at the door thoughtfully. Kirin watched her furtively, not sure what to say. Finally, he spoke.

"That boy has a promising amount of spirit energy. My lord, if I may be brash—why allow such potential strength to live? My lord or I could have gotten rid of him in an instant,"

"It will be interesting to have him around," Mukuro said. "He might be a good fight later."


	3. Two

**Title**: Stellar

**Disclaimer**: I don't own YYH, and the title is from a song by Incubus.

**Summary**: Mukuro is, among many things, a ruthless killer who has used skills and strategy to become king. She has always prided herself on her discernment, but one apparition eludes her understanding. A series of drabbles on her conflicting relationship with the Jaganshi. MukuroxHiei, Hurt/Comfort

2

She saw the clay jug falling to the floor, but she couldn't get up. She stared blankly at it, at the broken pieces of it, and up at the one guilty for the crash.

The slave girl was staring at her, frightened and confused. Mukuro thinks she would be, too, if she saw a lady in her reclusive master's bath tub.

The girl looked no older than fifteen. She had pale skin and green-and-blue hair, which marked her as a demon from the rocky areas. When they enter her kingdom, Mukuro's slaves are branded with a unique number, and this girl had hers on her collarbone. 1199.

"Will you hand me that. I wish to dry myself." Mukuro said, gently, pointing at a washcloth draped on a chair. She held her breath, not knowing if the girl will expose her by screaming for guards. The girl did as she said.

Mukuro toweled herself off and the girl averted her eyes, sweeping the pieces of broken jug into a pan. When Mukuro was dressed, she turned to face the girl, who was still standing at the doorway. She started wrapping her head up with her customary bandages, never taking her eyes away from the girl, who seemed to have regained some composure and was staring at her with a blank expression.

"1199. You are not to talk to anyone about what you have seen. When I pass you on the halls, you are to control your emotions. Do not show signs of distress; my captains will pick up your spiking energy and ask questions. You will slip in and out of this room unseen; you will clean my quarters when I am not around. Tell the steward that I specifically asked to not see you around. Understood?"

Number 1199 stared at her for the longest time, and quietly nodded. She turned on her heel, rough brown dress swishing against the stone floor, and left the room. Mukuro stood in her room, staring at the ceiling.

* * *

><p><em>A curious thing<em>, Mukuro thought, _to be fatally wounded_. She has not been this hurt for a long time, and she has forgotten how the world swam around an injured person. Her eyes had films over the pupils, and every breath brought a fresh wave of pain around her abdominal area.

Damn. If she lived another day after this she will murder the ass who chopped the head off one of Yomi's subordinates. Kirin was able to whisk her to safety, but not before Mukuro suffered a direct hit from one of Yomi's energy blasts. She has not seen her right hand man, or any of her generals, since then.

By sheer will alone, she managed to return to her region, but her feet refused to move after she crossed the border. She collapsed in a forest fifty meters into her territory. _I will die here_, she said to herself, leaning against a tree. She closed her eyes and sighed.

She woke up at nightfall, right around the time the red sun slips quietly under the horizon. She was still in the forest, but a fire has been set up near her. She looked down and saw her wounds dressed and treated.

Mukuro sat up and squinted, trying to identify the person across her, at the other side of the fire. "Number 1199?" she said, her speech a little slurred.

"Lord Mukuro," the girl said. "I live with a few other slave girls, outside the palace, in a small cottage a short way from here. I was going for a pail of water," she said, gesturing at the faint gurgling sound from the trees to their left.

Mukuro lay down on the grass. She stared at the canopy of leaves, trying to make patterns out of the criss-crossing leaves.

"What is your name, 1199?" Mukuro asked.

"Ryukyo." The girl replied.

"Ryukyo. I am grateful." Mukuro said.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Okay, this isn't really about Hiei and Mukuro, but I hope it was interesting. Is humanizing Mukuro a good or bad thing? Tell me what you think, please review!


	4. Three

**Title: **Stellar

**Disclaimer: **I don't own YYH, and the title is from a song by Incubus

**Summary**: Mukuro is, among many things, a ruthless killer who has used skills and strategy to become king. She has always prided herself on her discernment, but one apparition eludes her understanding. A series of drabbles on her conflicting relationship with the Jaganshi. MukuroxHiei, Hurt/Comfort

3

Hiei scuffed his feet and Mukuro stared.

Nothing much has changed about him, except for that eye. She fought an urge to come closer, knowing that he'll point a blade at her throat if she did.

"What is it?" he grumbled. Mukuro pointed at the band around his forehead.

"I want you to remove that," she said, "and help me find something." He stared at her sullenly, but obliged, reaching behind his head to untie the knot.

On his forehead was a thin line running horizontally across. Mukuro watched as the line grew and became a hole, the hole revealing an eye with a large purple iris. The third eye looked at her, but his natural ones were staring at a spot beyond her shoulder.

"I hear you're now called the Jaganshi," she said, and he sniffed. She continued.

"and that you run with Yoko Kurama these days. Is that correct?"

"Yoko Kurama is a business partner, and I appreciate his cunning. Although I'm sure a discussion of his better qualities is not what you had in mind. Why am I here?"

"I need to know how Raizen is doing. It has been fifteen years since he started that ridiculous hunger strike of his, and his power has weakened considerably. I suppose his spirit energy is just twice my level right now." Hiei cocked an eyebrow at her last sentence.

"Do I hear Lord Mukuro admitting that he is not the strongest Mazoku in Yokai?"

On another demon Hiei's words would sound impertinent, but he merely sounded incredulous.

Mukuro smiled, although Hiei will not see it. "False pride will be my downfall. Raizen has always been strongest, I acknowledge it. Also, I suppose that in the future, Raizen's unique situation will force a stalemate on him, Yomi and I."

Hiei closed his natural eyes, and his purple eye glowed. He stayed like this for a few minutes, and Mukuro felt strands of energy wafting around her, pulling at her own, like feather-light fingers groping for another being's touch. She froze like someone with snakes coiling around her feet. They both had dark energy, but they had differences. Hiei's spirit energy had a silent quality, in contrast to Mukuro's searing, angry energy. Mukuro wanted to come closer, to feel more of Hiei's energy as he sought Raizen. He opened his eyes and Mukuro stepped slightly back. She was thankful for her bandages, or Hiei would have seen the dull pink spreading across the undamaged side of her face.

"Raizen is weakened, and is in his stronghold. From the looks of it, he hasn't left that place in years. His people are thoroughly confused, but they are loyal. You are right—even in that condition his spirit energy is enough to blast half a nation."

"Half a nation, you say. Will he succumb to the hunger and eat a human soon?" Mukuro turned away awkwardly as Hiei retrieved his band from the floor and wrapped it around his forehead.

"I am a seer, not a teller of fortunes," he said. "Anything else I can help you with?"

"Do I hear Jaganshi Hiei talking about helping another demon?" Mukuro said, a hint of amusement in her voice. Hiei looked at her sharply before shrugging and turning to the door. He bid her goodbye with a raised right hand and left, closing the door behind him.

Mukuro wondered if Hiei knew that Yoko Kurama was once a leader to Yomi. She also wondered if he felt how drawn she was to his power earlier, and what he thought of it. Mukuro also thought about why Hiei had to have another eye.

"You're becoming terribly interesting, Hiei," she murmured to herself.

**A/N: **Thank you for the feedback! :D It's challenging trying to get into Mukuro's head because I know so little about her. But it's fun to make some things up along the way.


	5. Four

**Title:**Stellar

**Disclaimer:**I don't own YYH, and the title is from a song by Incubus.

**Summary**: Mukuro is, among many things, a ruthless killer who has used skills and strategy to become king. She has always prided herself on her discernment, but one apparition eludes her understanding. MukuroxHiei, Hurt/Comfort

4

The Royal Entry. A show of power, above everything, but the most tedious, mind-numbing and unnecessary show of power Mukuro's advisers ever came up with. During campaigns or threats of siege, she could take the lead—drawing up multiple battle strategies at once, and adjusting each as the days progress. The training of generals, the accounting of supplies, the breeding of beasts for battle—Mukuro has it all down pat. Except for the Entry.

"What hues best symbolize this last half-century of Lord Mukuro's rule?" Gaki, one of her advisers said in the meeting for this year's entry. Mukuro, scribbling on her paper, barely heard him.

"Blood red and Granite gray."

"No, it should be dark blue and steel gray."

"I believe our campaigns to quell the rebellion in the West would suit blood red. Also, the west is very rocky."

"But we aren't going to Enter just in the Western territories. This year we are going to consume the remaining moon calendar!"

_Moons_…how many moons have it been since she last saw that insufferable boy? Mukuro did not like to admit it to herself, but she missed his coarse speech. Lately, there hasn't been any demon that would not tiptoe around her, and his frankness is welcome. One of her men, who is in regular contact with him, said that Hiei has disappeared into the human world several moons ago and has not come back. _A pity,_ Mukuro thought, _since he would have been old enough to be recruited by now._

Mukuro put the finishing touches on her sketch and stood up. Immediately, everyone fell silent. "Make it all red, and that's the end of it. That is the last of your concerns for the Entry, I believe. Notify me when we will be departing for the towns, I shall be in my quarters."

Mukuro shook her head as she walked down the halls. The Royal Entry was about as vital for her as the state of her fingernails. What is important is that she has her subjects in control, never mind under what color banner. She entered her room.

"Good day, Lord Mukuro," Ryukyo said. The younger girl had drawn Mukuro's bath, and prepared her towels and clothes. Mukuro nodded gratefully and disappeared in the bathroom. Around an hour later, the Mazoku was sitting on the bed with her back to Ryukyo, with the young girl brushing her hair.

"They think you are my lover," Mukuro said as Ryukyo slid a brush through her hair. "My generals grumble a lot, especially the one that has taken a liking to you." Ryukyo flushed.

"I listen to no palace gossip, my lord." She murmured.

Mukuro sniffed. "Everyone listens to idle talk in this place. You are easy on the eyes"—at this the girl becomes a deep shade of red—"and I am known for being secretive. The only reason anyone can come up with is that I am bedding you."

"It does not bother me what they think." she said, setting the brush down and handing Mukuro her head band. "However, my lord—if I may be rash—I think something is worrying _you_. Is it the Entry? Will visiting your subjects be too tedious for you?"

Mukuro laughed openly, making the younger girl jump. Her laugh was rough and rusty. "The Entry is the least of my concerns. More than half the time, I let the advisers take care of it. No, it's something else," she said, trailing off. Ryukyo moved so that she faces Mukuro, and she scanned the older girl's face.

"Is it a man?" Ryukyo said.

"What."

"It is a man, isn't it? Oh, this is splendid!" She took Mukuro's hands and the older girl flinched. Ryukyo did not seem to notice the acid ravaged skin on one of her hands. "I knew it was a man the moment you entered the room. My older sister, Rikiko, whenever she has problems like yours, has the same hunched shoulders you had a while ago. Oh, Lord Mukuro, don't worry. He will come around."

The older girl snatched her hands away, and Ryukyo drew back, the old fear filling up her eyes. A sinking feeling lodged itself in Mukuro's stomach, and she longed to take Ryukyo's hands back but something held her in check.

"It is true that somebody bothers me, but not for the reasons you think." Mukuro climbed off the bed to look out the window.

"He could be a great benefit to my kingdom, but he is always out of Yokai. If he will not work for me, I do not like him getting any stronger, especially since he has aligned himself with that fox bandit. He is also intolerable at times, but he is the only person who can talk to me without cowering or hiding behind his cloak."

Mukuro fell silent. And there was that time, many moons ago, when she felt that strange tug from his spirit. She longed to fight him, so she can feel those strange tendrils of energy coil around hers.

"And I know nothing of him," she finally said.

"Well, my lord, why don't you send people to learn more about him? Your men might come up with a thing or two." Ryukyo looked at her from the bed, more puzzled than anything.

Mukuro sat still for the longest time. "Perhaps I can do something better," she said.

**A/N**: I'm sorry this took too long! I hope the (relative) length of this chapter made up for it. It looks more like a traditional chapter than a stand-alone thing, though.

JapanCat, thank you for that generous review! I'm glad you like the fic so far, and thank you for the suggestions. I think I'll take them in consideration when I make the next chapters.


	6. Five

A/N: Okay, it's been really long since my last update. Got tied down by real-world concerns (AKA work AKA that necessary evil), but here is the new chapter of Stellar to make up for it. Hope this is worth the wait.

**Title:**Stellar

**Disclaimer:**I don't own YYH, and the title is from a song by Incubus.

**Summary**: Mukuro is, among many things, a ruthless killer who has used skills and strategy to become king. She has always prided herself on her discernment, but one apparition eludes her understanding. MukuroxHiei, Hurt/Comfort

5

He is a collector—of stories, of people, of incisions and stitches and all the wonderful things one can do with a blade. Did you know that there are fourteen ways of slicing a demon's ear, he would say. And he would rattle off like it was the most natural thing in the world, the poetics of hacking at various appendages.

He looked commonplace among demons—long hair, more scars than fingers and toes, a piercing here and there. But his eyes had a depth that drew one in like a live well—black and lightless, but full, always full. His eyes are that of an appraiser, constantly evaluating, rarely slipping into false judgment. It is to him that Mukuro goes now.

One morning, three months into the Royal Entry, she slipped from the festivities and journeyed to an isolated cottage in one of her towns. This is the house of Shigure, the osteopath, and she has been waiting for three months to pay him a visit. She walked two hours to this area, a secluded valley off the outskirts of the nearest town.

He seemed to be expecting a visitor, although his scarred face registered a little surprise when he answered the door.

"Lord Mukuro," he said. A shifting from left foot to right, a twitch near the mouth lasting a hundredth of a second—they would pass unnoticed if witnessed by someone else, but this was Mukuro. She stared at the surgeon.

"Were you expecting someone today, Shigure? Perhaps I should visit another time."

"I am always expecting someone, my lord. You are more than welcome." He was gracious now, all hesitation gone, and he swept her inside the house, as a flurry of polite chitchat ensues. Mukuro humored him through the preliminaries. When will he get over his nervousness? Etiquette demanded that she wait, so she will.

"To what do I owe this good surprise, my lord?" _Finally. _She has already spent too much time here. "From what I gather you have operated on the demon called Hiei. Why did he want another eye?"

Several more miniscule twitches. "My lord. I am a collector, yes, but most of all, I am a doctor. I cannot talk about medical history with people other than the patient. Forgive me."

Mukuro fell silent for the longest time. Her silence was deliberate, calculated, but to Shigure it seemed to show her disapproval. He kept his head high but Mukuro smelled fear creeping around the edges of him. Finally, she spoke.

"It is not his medical history that I wish to hear, Shigure. It is his personal history. You collect these too, do you not? Tell me why he wished for another eye. At this, Shigure frowned and looked at Mukuro. There is more of the appraiser in his eyes now. He spoke slowly.

"Strange, it is," he began, standing up slowly, "that no one has ever seen Lord Mukuro's eyes. My lord, do you know the price the Jaganshi paid for his new eye? He told me the story of his life. I saw as much from his natural eyes, but him talking about it was like a confirmation. My lord, I can tell you Hiei's story, but you would have to tell me your own. The problem is, I cannot confirm your story—I cannot see your eyes."

A whistling in her ears as Mukuro counted the seconds. She must not be rash in anything, even her words. She must wait. Shigure was also waiting—not a single word escaped from him the moment he finished. Mukuro sighed. Why is it that she keeps revealing herself to so many people these days? She reached up behind her to start untying her bandages. Layer by layer she peeled it off, and Shigure said nothing; he just stared.

Mukuro faced Shigure, glass eye exposed, scarred, feminine face bare. She began telling her story, and he listened. She told him everything, even her curiosity about Hiei and what led her to Shigure.

The sun was dipping close to the horizon when Mukuro went out of Shigure's house, her bandages back, her face grim behind them. She journeyed back to the city, where the festivities were still in full swing. She decided to recruit Shigure after a few months, knowing that he will not refuse her anything.


	7. Six

**Title: **Stellar

**Disclaimer:**I don't own YYH, and the title is from a song by Incubus.

**Summary**: Mukuro is, among many things, a ruthless killer who has used skills and strategy to become king. She has always prided herself on her discernment, but one apparition eludes her understanding. MukuroxHiei, Hurt/Comfort

* * *

><p>6<p>

A faint rumbling echoed through the jagged ridges of the clay mountains, a legion of chariots charging towards Mukuro's castle. Other than this, it was still.

Half a year of training. For someone who has always resisted associating with her, he seemed to be very eager to join her army.

Thousands of A-level demons later, Mukuro knows he will still cut her head off given the chance. She doesn't have time to turn him, though—the rumbles are growing louder and more insistent, and her arms still tingle from the memory of Yomi nearly hacking them off. She bade Kirin to stand outside, and she entered the dungeon alone.

"You've made quite a mess down here. I'm running out of A-level demons to sit on you. Perhaps it is time we moved on to a more powerful opponent." At this, Mukuro felt his energy prickle unconsciously. He wasn't aware of the shift in his own system because of his fatigue, but she knew. He thought she will be his opponent, and he was raring for it.

"You've surpassed even my expectations, Hiei, but you can still go further. You lack motivation."

"Go figure. After six months of this training, I still don't know what you want from me." He paused. "You odd mummy. I don't know what kind of demon you are, or what you even look like under there."

She, on the other hand, knew altogether too much about this demon. Shigure's voice still lingers in her head.

"You want to see, don't you? A challenge; I'll bring you one more warrior. If you defeat him, I'll give you the distinct honor of taking his place on my select guard."

"I have no use for honors or distinctions. They are nothing but meaningless tokens."

"I think you'll change your mind. You'll find that this—meaningless token—opens many other doors. You'll have a much easier time finding what you seek."

Now she had his attention. His eyes never left her as she excused herself, and a warm circle, the size of a thumbprint, pressed on the space her ribs met. She walked out of the training hall and into a room just a few doors from the one she left.

Shigure was slipping a ring through his jaw when Mukuro entered, and he looked up at her in surprise. "Ah? Is he ready? I could not feel a thing from here. You have very clever architects, My Lord."

"Hiei does not know that you have given me his story. I prefer it stays that way, until I determine where his loyalties truly lie. He is waiting in the training hall."

"I suppose our deal still holds, then, Lord Mukuro?"

"Yes. Prove Hiei's sincerity and the twist will be meaningless."

Her eyelids dropped as she grimaced. "Although he is friends with the fox demon, Hiei works not for Kurama or Yomi, Shigure. Your twist will probably not hold, and I will finally be able kill _that_ bastard. I already know where he lives." Mukuro's fists started to shake, and Shigure smiled.

"Your anxiety to see your erstwhile captor die is arresting, my lord. I do not know Hiei's reasons for joining us, but if exposing him means seeing you bound in this way, I will do everything I can."

"One last thing. You cannot kill Hiei. He will believe that you are fighting to the death, but you must not kill him."

"Well. You're really setting him up to win, aren't you?" Shigure finishes with his rings and turns to Mukuro. "After these wars, may I tag along when you pay your old man a visit? Might be interesting. And I won't get in the way."

Mukuro grunted. "He's never been my anything."

They walked in silence back to the training hall. Mukuro was aware of Shigure's eyes on her. Ever since she visited him again to recruit him, he has taken to studying her openly. She often wondered what went on in that surgeon's brain of his. They reached the training hall and the warm circle returned to her ribs.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," she said, walking towards Hiei.

* * *

><p>AN: To everyone who's putting this fic on their Alert lists, thank you Oh, and huge chunks of dialogue were lifted from YYH episode 99: Haunted by the Past. They're not mine, but I wish they were.

Gonna update soon!


	8. Seven

**Title: **Stellar

**Disclaimer:**I don't own YYH, and the title is from a song by Incubus.

**Summary**: Mukuro is, among many things, a ruthless killer who has used skills and strategy to become king. She has always prided herself on her discernment, but one apparition eludes her understanding. MukuroxHiei, Hurt/Comfort

7

In the hallway, she passed one of the large mirrors and looked at the form reflected on them. It was unnecessary, she was only visiting the two, but she felt bare without the bandages, so she put them on. Besides, someone might walk in and see her, and what would happen then?

The last time she saw the surgeon, he had half his head sliced off by Hiei. Their fight was one of the best Mukuro has ever seen. Both warriors, she thought approvingly, had a lust for blood that was almost at par with hers. Shigure and Hiei faced off in her training dungeons weeks ago, and both were injured to the point of death. Now, with their recovery almost complete, Mukuro paid a visit to her warriors, first to Shigure.

She entered the infirmary to find him sitting up, face whole, one hand cradled in a sling and the other nursing a mug of dark liquid. He looked up, saw Mukuro, and grinned, sharp yellow rows of teeth gleaming.

"I was wondering when you'd come down to visit me," he said, his voice gravely from disuse. Mukuro sensed nothing from him, and this troubled her a little.

"My healers advised me to not let anyone but the medical staff come near you unless you are strong enough to accept visitors."

"That's terribly thoughtful of you."

Mukuro had her own brushes with death, and she knew that each close shave made a demon feel more immortal. Shigure, for all his skills in wielding his unusual blade, had only probably been mortally wounded a handful of times in his life. The encounter with Hiei would be his first experience with being almost dead, and Shigure's eyes had a wild look to them that Mukuro recognized.

"Lord Mukuro, how is it now? On the one hand, you have a new lieutenant. He is a virtuoso with his sword, quick on his feet, and quicker to think. However, he will never be loyal to you. On the other hand, this situation gave you the opening to kill your father. What will you do?" Shigure's face twisted into a grin.

Mukuro ignored the bit about Hiei. She shook her head. "The business with my father will have to wait. I have another tandem I've set my sights on—Raizen and his son." Mukuro frowned. After centuries, the rumbles have ceased. The rumbles have become part of living in Makai, and now that they just abruptly stopped, Mukuro can't help but feel like she lost something. With Raizen dead, her men have grown restless. They felt a war coming on.

"I have some associates who have seen the half-breed heir in action. A while back, he was fighting another human in one of the Free Plains, and they tell me he is a chip off the old block," Shigure cocked his head. "Is he not too young to fight? He is barely a man, and Raizen approved of this?"

"Shigure, you should know most of all that age or innocence matters little in Makai. If at all." Mukuro moved away from the bed and was suddenly very absorbed in the medical reports on Shigure's recovery. The silence stretched painfully for some time. Finally, Shigure coughed, setting the empty mug on his bedside table. Mukuro turned to face him.

"I want you to work with Kirin, train our men. Make the new ones ready for battle. Hiei and I will travel to Yomi's kingdom. I have received word that the son has seeked an audience with him. I wonder what the boy has planned." Mukuro turned to leave, closing the door gently behind her. She walked down the hall, opening a similar door to her right.

Hiei was tucking the Koorime pearls into his cloak when Mukuro came in. "I haven't thanked you for the pearls." He said.

"You're welcome. Let us go, we need to catch up with Raizen's son. Yusuke, is it?" They left, walking further down the palace into where she kept the land crafts. Hiei walked beside her. "Yusuke is different. You will find out soon enough."

"Is he strong?" she said, walking towards a craft shaped like an insect. The craft opened by itself and the two climbed in. "Yusuke looks weak, sure. But his strength comes from elsewhere. I've seen him win battles by pure will power."

"Sounds like you regard him highly." Mukuro said, smiling behind her bandages as she flipped some switches on a panel. Hiei nodded, which surprised her a little. The vehicle roared to life, and the two started tunneling under the capital city.

"Raizen is really dead, huh?"

"Yes."

"So it all begins now."

"I have to train you further, you know. Yomi's lieutenants are a whole league onto themselves, and should we find a scuffle on our hands, we will be prepared."

The craft roared and climbed up to the surface, emerging in one of the forests on the outskirts of the capital. Hiei stared out the windshield, at the view unfolding in front of him. The trees are delicate; tall fruit-bearers with spindly branches, their leaves a feathery blue. Wrapping the horizon on all sides was the clay visage of the mountain range that protected Mukuro's kingdom from sudden invasions.

"How many days until we get to Yomi's?" Hiei said at last.

"Three, if we stay above ground. This vehicle is programmed to travel the fastest it can, all the way to Yomi's kingdom."

She looked at him, at the way his eyebrows scrunched up in concentration. Mukuro remembered him as he was weeks ago, unconscious, in suspended animation, and she recalled the white hot thrill his fighting gave her. He flew around the training area like he had wings on his feet, and he was brave—or foolish—enough to risk his life for a battle. He was light-years from the unruly little boy she caught drifting along her land's borders. She recalled how she felt, her heart thumping madly against her ribs, hoping that he could see her through his artificial eye. She took the bandages off first, staring up at him as she did.

She remembered how she stared at the Jaganshi, peeling off her jacket, slipping out of her trousers. She disrobed before the tank containing Hiei, looking straight at his artificial eye. "Here I am in my entirety, Hiei." She said. "I'll follow you anywhere."

Beside her, Hiei nodded slightly. "Let's start training in a few minutes," he said, before disappearing into the back of the craft. If he did not see her in her nakedness, it is fine. But if he saw her, if he was awake and he saw her in that state, Mukuro decided then that it is so much better.

**A/N**: Okay, no excuses for how long this took. I'm just happy to write another chapter. Please tell me what you think!


	9. Eight

**Title**: Stellar

**Disclaimer**: I don't own YYH, and the title is from a song used by Incubus. :)

**Summary**: Mukuro has always prided herself on her discernment, but one apparition eludes her understanding. A series of drabbles on her conflicting relationship with the Jaganshi. MukuroxHiei, Hurt/Comfort

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><p>8<p>

A few meters above Yomi's palace, Hiei and Mukuro waited. They have not been speaking with each other for quite some time, all senses directed to one room in the thousands before them, straining to hear and feel across the kilometers, for a raised voice or a shift in the energy. Their covert presence inside the city was troubling to Hiei, who voiced this concern much earlier.

"Strange," he said, as they dropped into the city. "I'd have thought there would be a welcoming party."

Mukuro exhaled. "He knows we're here. And believe me; we'd know if he didn't want us to be."

It was like puppy inside a den of wolves. Yusuke, son of Raizen, barged into Yomi's kingdom like a dear friend inviting himself over for a vacation. Yomi welcomed him with unflinchingly good manners, having servants receive Yusuke in a room, and serving him hot tea. However, Yomi seemed very alert. Mukuro knew that whatever words he would utter would be for all demons listening in to them. Yusuke seemed oblivious to eavesdroppers; or maybe, he just chose to ignore them. Yomi chose to speak first.

"So, why have you come to see me? I have neither time nor patience to waste beating around the bush."

"Well, Raizen is dead now. And as the new king on the block I thought it'll be fair for me to tell you exactly how I'm gonna rip you off your throne."

Mukuro felt Yomi tense up, and it was evident in his speech. "Alright. In the interest of full disclosure, allow me to show you how I plan to stop you." Mukuro felt a steady increase in Yomi's energy. Hiei was anxious, although he was doing a superb job of hiding it.

Raizen's son distracted all of them by saying that he had a gift for Yomi. What, indeed, is he planning? Mukuro thought to herself. Hiei seemed to be confused about his opinion on this boy—he thought him imprudent, and grating, but she felt certain that he would draw a sword against anyone who dared harm Yusuke.

Yomi asked Yusuke to untie the bag carrying his gift, and the latter obliged. Mukuro and Hiei held their breath, and a moment later, Hiei turned to Mukuro, an exasperated look on his face.

"Pearls." he said flatly. "Pearls of different colors. The enormous idiot."

"Those are stones native to Raizen's country. A diplomatic gesture, but one which I doubt would work with Yomi." Mukuro said. She frowned. Was this Raizen's true heir?

"Hold it; I think Yusuke's saying something." Hiei turned his attention to them.

"Look, just because I'm Raizen's heir doesn't mean I'm qualified to replace him. So maybe it's time we found another way of crowning the big cheese around here. Each of these stones has the name of someone from Makai on them. We'll all face off in a tournament, where we won't be representing kingdoms, but ourselves. And the one who wins the tournament will be the one to rule us all! For a period of time, at least, until the next tournament where we do it all again. We'll cast our votes with fists. Whaddaya say, big guy?" At that moment, Mukuro felt a surge of various energies—apparently, there were more demons listening in to Yomi and Yusuke's conversation, and they have shown themselves. Among them was Kurama, who voiced his approval of Yusuke's proposal. Mukuro felt Yomi's rage. Beside her, Hiei was laughing maniacally.

"Yomi doesn't know what hit him!" he said.

"Hiei. Spread the word. From this point on, Mukuro is just another apparition. Like the rest of the masses I'll be fighting for myself; I accept Yusuke's terms."

"That sounds good to me," said Hiei, a rare grin on his face. He went down to the control room, to configure their return to the kingdom that was once Mukuro's.

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><p>Within a few days, the palace fell into discord. Mukuro chose to remain in her room, finding the absence of noise comforting. Her advisers were divided about her decision to secede her power; elsewhere, some servants have resigned from their posts. A few brave demons have attempted to loot from the castle, only to be blasted by Kirin or Hiei. The two have been paragons of vassals, and had it been another time, she would have been proud of them. Right now, though, she didn't want this.<p>

"My lord. Will you not be addressing your generals today?" Kirin's muffled voice went through the door.

"There are no more generals, Kirin, and I have told you countless times in the past few days, I am no longer your liege. However, I would like to ask you to do one last thing for me. Announce to the castle, and to the kingdom, that I wish to address everyone. Tell all demons to be ready in exactly 100 hours. Some things have to be clarified."

Kirin's footsteps faded into the hall, and Mukuro moved to her bed to lie down. She turned to face the chair across her, where a thoughtful looking Hiei was seated. He chose to avert his eyes from her, his jaw set in recalcitrance.

"Are you furious that I am a woman?" she asked him.

Since revealing her face to him, he has refused to speak to her, but he would still visit her every day. He brought no food or offered no stories, but just sat. This suited Mukuro, and she did not speak to him as well. It was only now, with the strain of addressing her once-kingdom, and of finally revealing herself, did she choose to speak. Hiei turned to look at her.

"I am not one to address trifles such as feelings." He finally said. "I suppose I have questions. I tried asking Shigure, but every time you come up, he would mumble some excuse about having a headache."

"You can ask me. I suppose I owe you some answers."

Hiei looked at her like she turned into a fish. "Yusuke comes in with a risky proposal, and suddenly you're every demon's father? Oh, wait! Mother! You forgot to mention that tiny piece of information!" He looked so aggravated, eyes bulging, breathing shallow, that Mukuro just had to laugh. It was drawn out, a small chuckle at first, which ran up to a full guffaw. She was wiping tears off her eyes when Hiei talked again.

"Yes. Some answers would be good. I am happy you choose to fight under Yusuke's terms, but do you think Yomi would easily give up his power? More importantly…why do you hide what you are?" Hiei walked towards her, and touched a finger to her disfigured cheek. It stayed there, not demanding anything, but Mukuro felt a jolt from Hiei's finger and she jerked back. Did that come from Hiei? He looked like he meant no harm; he certainly wasn't attacking her. She rubbed the scars on her cheek.

"Yomi would definitely hold on to his power for as long as he could. However, the rest of Makai seems agreeable to Yusuke's tournament system, and Yomi would be foolish to force his will in that case. I just think the tournament is a good idea. May the most powerful demon win, I suppose."

"And why hide who you are?" Hiei pressed on.

"I would have a sword to my neck before I answer that," she said.

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><p><strong>AN**: Hi! I hope people are still interested in this ^^ I'm ready to work on and finish this fic. A few things…Yep, I will be taking liberties in terms of dialogue and of events in between the major plot points. Although, thank you Reyka Sivao for pointing A LOT of inconsistencies in my last chapter. I guess the last one was rushed—I hope to not make that mistake again. Oh and chunks of the dialogue are from Episode 104 of the English dub. Thank you for reading!


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